The Summer 2026 issue of UK nostalgia magazine Yours Retro (#103) includes a 28-page special in honour of Marilyn’s 100th birthday. The cover image – a publicity shot for 1953’s How to Marry a Millonaire – is sometimes credited to Sam Shaw, but was more likely the work of an in-house photographer at Twentieth Century-Fox (perhaps John Florea.)
Inside, Amanda Hodges looks at Marilyn’s rise to stardom and the battle to control her career. The headline is derived from a line from her 1954 memoir, My Story: “I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night — there must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I’m not going to worry about them. I’m dreaming the hardest.”
Marilyn’s ‘Top 5 Box Office Gold’ includes grosses for each film.
Monroe biographer Michelle Morgan highlights Marilyn’s funniest screen moments, from Monkey Business to Some Like It Hot, and the ‘porthole scene’ in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Offscreen, the family Marilyn longed for eluded her. The image shown below right was part of an early publicity stunt, with newspapers spreading the fabricated tale of her ‘discovery’ while babysitting for a Hollywood producer.
Next up, a look at Marilyn’s most glamorous movie costumes – designed by Travilla, Jean Louis, and more – as part of the regular ‘Screen Chic‘ series.
‘Wise words’ from Marilyn herself, alongside a photo by Baron; and some long overdue myth-busting.
Another regular feature, ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ offers a peek behind the scenes of How to Marry a Millonaire, as Marilyn relaxes with co-stars Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall.
This month’s issue also includes an Ultimate Screen Test Quiz, with Marilyn making a repeat appearance.
And finally, Yours Retro has teamed with Art & Hue for a newspaper-style halftone portrait, based on a 1953 photo by Frank Powolny. They’re giving away two A4 prints to UK residents aged 16 or over, so enter the draw here by September 1, 2026.
The Marilyn Report 